Export Development Council

𝐇𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐇𝐚𝐫𝐯𝐞𝐬𝐭: 𝐀𝐝𝐯𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐒𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐀𝐠𝐫𝐢-𝐓𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐦 𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝟗𝐭𝐡 𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐅𝐚𝐫𝐦 𝐓𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐦 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞

The 9th International Farm Tourism Conference, held on 4–6 March 2026 in Baguio City, gathered farm tourism stakeholders, government agencies, micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs), and industry leaders under the theme “Highland Harvest: Cultivating Sustainable Agriculture and Tourism.” Organized by the International School of Sustainable Tourism (ISST), co-presented by the Department of Tourism (DOT) and the City Government of Baguio, and funded by the Philippine Exporters Confederation, Inc., the nationwide event aims to raise awareness and promote the development of Filipino farms into sustainable and globally competitive agri-tourism destinations.

On its first day, it featured a panel discussion on highland coffee innovation, and presentations anchored on farm tourism, including six pillars of sustainable farm tourism, digitalization, preservation of natural and cultural heritage, and market trends and insights.

The second day revolves on topics about scientific and technical contributions covering sustainable food systems, brand storytelling and marketing, climate adaptation, resilient community building, and upland freshwater technologies.

One of the highlights of the conference was the 5th Asian Farm Tourism Awards (AFTA), which recognized and awarded local and Asian entrepreneurs for their innovative initiatives on farm tourism. Charinee Chaiyochlarb of Mini Murrah Farm in Thailand and Raymond Aaron of Villa Socorro Farm from Pagsanjan, Laguna, were awarded Best Farm Tourism Enterprise.

For the Outstanding Youth Entrepreneur, it was given to Agus Wibowo from Indonesia’s PT-Agro-Lestari-Merbabu. Further, the Outstanding Farm Tourism Advocate awards were received by Tariq Tanveer, CEO of Agri Tourism Development Corp. of Pakistan, and Fang Tzu Wei, chairman of The Morning Market in Taiwan.

The 9th International Farm Tourism Conference concluded with the passing of the Torch Ceremony, where Bacolod will be the next host. It established renewed calls to strengthen collaboration among stakeholders in fostering sustainable farm tourism in the Philippines. Through the 3-day knowledge sharing and networking, the event amplified the growing role of farm tourism in empowering rural communities and making the nation a competitive agri-tourism destination. 𝑲𝑭𝑺